The Inquisition

The part of Roman law which was used almost exclusively by the Church
was called the "inquisito" -- the inquiry. The inquisition was set out
to act as a penitential and proselytizing office, not a true penal council.
Therefore, its chief desire was a promise from the accused to the Church
pledging eternal loyalty and obedience. All the inquisition desired was an
acknowledgement that heresy was sinful, and thus punishable, so the sinner
could be reconciled with the Church. Thus, the Inquisition inflicted no real
penal punishments. The Holy Office was set on conversion back to the
Word of God. They did not consider heresy` a crime, merely a sin for which
confession and absolution was required.

If the sinner refused to abjure and repent, he was no longer
under the protection of the Church. By an agreement between the Church
and the State, the accused was abandoned by the papal are and turned over to
the State.
Such a case was viewed as a total failure by the Inquisitor. As a priest, he
had
failed to return the lost sheep to the fold, thus falling short of both his
official and Holy duties.

Each Inquisitor had enormous duties. The individual was put in chard
of a certain district, which was usually very large geographically. Each had
his own headquarters where the trials were held and where official documents
were stored. Often times this office was in a Dominican convent, but
some were housed in the Bishop's palace. The workload required extraordinary
persistence, patience, and bravery, to some extent. Inquisitors were put in
the precarious place between the Church and disgruntled heretics.

ACTUAL COURSE OF EVENTS:

Before an accused heretic ever went to trial, he was urged to confess
and repent for his sins. This often worked, for people feared public
humiliation, and the wrath of God. If this were the case, the
Inquisition only required a basic confession, and penitance was mild, if
even necessary. Other cases, who refused the initial abjuration, went on
before the Inquisition.

Witnesses were then called to testify against the heretic. Testimony
by anyone was encouraged, thus wives denounced their husbands, mothers
accused their children, and so forth. Even criminals, other heretics and
excommunicates could appear as witnesses. The accused would never know who
had testified against him, so everyone felt safer. It took at least two
witnesses to force an arrest of a heretic. Suspects with good reputations
often required more witnesses in order to build a case against the accused.

These denunciations were transcribed by notaries of the Holy
Office and then submitted to the Inquisitor. If he decided this information
warranted investigation, he issued a warrant for the heretic to appear
before the Inquisition on a specified date. This summons was usually
served by a minor officer of the Inquisition, and was accompanied by a
full written statement of the evidence held against the accused. In some
instances, the accused would also be forced to give a statement before the
preceedings began. Finally, and order of arrest was issued and the
heretic was in the hands of the Holy Office. If the seemed to be any
indication the suspect might fell, the order of arrest was sent out with
the original summons. In cases such as this, the individual had no
warning of his arest and was immediately jailed.

The accused was thus brought before the Inquisitor and asked if he had
any mortal enemies. If the answer was yes, or if it was known that the
accused had quarreled with someone recently, the prosecution received a
blow. However, the Inquisitor held firm control over the preceedings of
the trail. His purpose being to extract a confession, the Inquisitor had
every right to
take the appropriate measure to ensure this outcome -- and so began the
interregations.

It was during this phase of the trial that the accused became truly
helpless. Knowing his duty well, the Inquisitor employed every resource
he had available to secure confession. These included long winded and
cicumloquacious cross examinations, leading the accused into a trap of
confession, and adjourning the trial for as long as was deemed
necessary. One Inquisitor summoned a heretic in 1301, but did not impose
his penitance until 1319. During this time of recess, the heretic could
be allowed to go home, stay with the Inquisitor at a convent, or be imprisoned
-- this was completely up to the Inquisitor.

If the accused still refused to abjure and confess, the
Inquisitor could use torture. Torture was afflicted upon the accused
until such time as he signified a readiness to confess his sin. The
most common type of torture was the strappado -- a rope hanging over a
pulley attached to the ceiling. The hands of the accused were tied
behind his back and attached to the rope. The rope was raised to the
ceiling and allowed to fall, thus dislocating the shoulder blades.
Torture was not widely reported, but most assuredly happened -- it was
the blackest mar the Holy Office ever bore.

When the Inquisitor was pleased with the confession, he
pronounced his sentence. This ranged from the accused wearing crosses to
going on a pligrimmage, to burning at the stake. Penance of some kind
was almost always imposed, and that person wore a stain on their
character for the rest of their life. However, it is important to
remember the Inquisition was to reform, not condemn or punish. This was
welcome by both sides because the accused was not a convicted criminal,
although his moral character could be questionable. So concludes the
history of the medieval inquisition.